Episode 3-74
Summary As the team makes its way through the Konchez water channel, part of Maruna's coat touches the red liquid. Ran grabs his arm and tells him to be careful because this is not ordinary water, and if he falls in he could be fried like a chicken. Maruna glares at him, and Yuta informs him that it is not an issue for a fire-attribute rakshasa. Ran then asks why he has a murderous expression, and Yuta points out his choice of words. Leez interrupts, telling Ran that the path ends here. Ran notes that the path must be submerged since this area has lower ground than the others, and since the pathway descends all the way to the exit, there is no way to walk the rest of the way. He asks if everyone has the means of crossing over the water on their own, and notes that he does not have enough vigor to use Varuna magic the whole way. Leez happily tells Ran that she will hold him instead, but Yuta protests, insisting that he can carry Ran himself. Leez ignores him, picks Ran up, and casts bhavati kubera. They both disappear in a gold whoosh while Yuta and Leez the cat(?) look on. Now outside the water channel, with some of their supplies laid out on an outcropping, Leez looks in wonder at the planet and the red sky, and wonders if it was covered with grass and trees before its destruction. She notes that they need to reset their daily usage of magic, so they should sleep until the Time of Wind. Leez then remarks to Ran that this is their second time traveling through the water channels, and asks if he thinks they work in perfect harmony. He scoffs at that, then complains that her steering while flying was bad, and she could have let him cast hoti kubera first, because crashing into the mountainside was too much. Leez remarks that she crashed the same as him, and asks him if he got hurt because he is still a weakling like in the past. Ran insists that he is fine. Leez apologizes, explaining that she is not used to flying while carrying someone else. She offers to use some of the first aid items stored in the cloak, but Ran tells her it does not hurt. Leez asks him if he is sure, as she grabs one of his legs, causing Ran to yelp and complain that a regular person would become injured if she pinched them like that. She tells him to stop being stubborn and just treat his injuries, while she goes out to check for any danger nearby. Ran asks her if she could just tell Yuta to do it, but Leez ignores him, casts bhavati kubera, and flies away. Ran watches Yuta watching Maruna staring off into space, and complains about the tension in the air. He asks Yuta why that rakshasa refuses to believe that he is there, especially after the gods told him themselves. Yuta explains that he is unable to admit that he is "him". Ran suggests that he could tell him a secret that only they know, like "there is a giant mole on his butt". Yuta replies that he would rather not, and that there is no need to try so hard to prove his existence since he will accept it in time. Ran complains again about the tense atmosphere, how that guy still refuses to acknowledge him when he tries to talk to him, and how Leez ignores both Yuta and that guy; he is uncomfortable being in the middle of it all. Yuta states that his name is "Maruna", not "that guy". When Ran acknowledges that his name is "Maruna", Maruna glares at him, leaving Ran to conclude that it would be better for him to just call him "that guy". During the night, as Leez and Ran sleep soundly, Maruna calls out to "Jatayu", asking him to listen if he is really there. He begins to talk about Samphati, but stops, decides that it is crazy, and flies away. Early the next day, as both Leez and Leez the cat(?) eat breakfast, Ran asks where the rakshasa went. Yuta explains that he was having a hard time being around them, and adds that they will leave first, since he will just follow since he knows where the temple is. At the Temple of Chaos, Ran recalls that they need Chaos, Earth, Fire, and Water to enter, and asks Yuta why the three non-Chaos attributes are needed. Yuta replies that they are attributes of the highest gods with whom his mother was friendly, that is, Kubera, Agni, and Varuna. Ran is shocked to learn that those gods were friends with Kali. Yuta tells him that he will explain it to him and Leez once they are inside, as he uses a transcendental to open the door. Currygom's comment Hang in there, Ran... Afterword Blurb about writing webtoonshop merchandise reviews on the blog in a few days The Konchez water channel, a good place to fry chicken and eat it. Ran is no longer holding Leez the cat(?)'s leash. (It's only the head that is similar to a cat, but it's not exactly the same. It also behaves differently from a cat.) To be honest, it only has a leash in case it causes trouble, but there's no reason for it to wear a leash in a place like this. It's not a big deal for anyone on this team to catch Leez the cat(?) if it runs away somewhere. Kubera express delivery service! (Beware of shock) (Risk of death for ordinary humans) Rumor has it that Maruna took Leez the cat(?) with him. Hyung-nim, aren't you bored of that pose by now? If Maruna could see Yuta with his own eyes, what would be the first thing he'd say? This door isn't the one that was said to require four attributes. Notice that it opens while Maruna isn't present. Notes * So far, Ran has gotten rides from: ** Yuta, from the desert to Eloth ** Shess, from Mistyshore to Kalibloom ** and now from Leez, to get to the exit of the Konchez water channel. * According to Currygom's blog post on magic usage, a magician's daily usage is precisely the number of times they can cast a particular spell each day. The 24-hour time period is different for each attribute. When the time of that attribute begins—e.g. Wind at 8:00 a.m., or Fire at 12:00 noon—they regain their total number of daily uses for spells of that attribute. Apparently, wind magic seems to be important to have at the ready. * If you recall, Maruna only knows Yuta as "Jatayu". References